This invention relates to power plant construction and, specifically, to a unique and reusable pipe flange cover that protects pipe flanges from damage and prevents debris from entering the pipe openings, primarily during storage and shipment and prior to installation in the plant.
Construction of a power plant involves the manufacture and assembly of many and various styles and sizes of flanged pipe assemblies. A major requirement in the manufacture and installation of these flanged pipe assemblies is that they are clean and free of foreign debris between the time they are manufactured and the time they are installed. Existing flange cover designs fall into two categories:
a. Metal flange covers with rubber gaskets held in place by the use of nuts and bolts. These covers protect the flange face, seal the pipe opening, and make use of the bolt holes in the flange to secure the cover in place. This configuration, however, requires tools to install and involves a cumbersome procedure. Due to the weight of the flange and the requirement to use nuts and bolts to secure the cover to the flange, it is often either not properly installed, or not properly re-installed when taken off for any reason.
b. Plastic covers of various configurations. The plastic covers do an adequate job of protecting the flange face but do not adequately seal the pipe opening. The plastic tends to warp when exposed to sunlight or extreme temperature variations. The majority of this type of flange cover do not have positive retention methods, and therefore they tend to come off during use.